Fifth time’s the charm, Ginger? We certainly thought so! It’s time to put down the hammer and tongs, Apprentice…or should we say, brownrider, because that’s what you’re going to be from now on! Welcome to the dragonrider’s world, Ginger. Now it’s time to meet the other half of your heart. - SerenityCo

Clutching Pose

"Yeah. It's not as though we weren't getting up soon anyway…" Amani starts, and then the first egg comes and she finds herself transfixed. "Oh, Faranth. Look, M'noq!" Even if he already is looking, she can't help it, and clutches at his arm. They're her lifemate's children. Zymuraith and Ravaith's babies! And something about that simple truth makes her eyes go over-bright with welling tears. Zymuriath is quite deliberate about how she places the new arrivals, crooning her response to Ravaith even as she arranges them in a neatly-space arc, a curving line of six. Then she moves along to make some more niches, following the same curve as the others. Is she making a circle? - from A Clutch of Contrasts

Five Fingers Against the Eye Egg

Though large and immensely steady-seeming, this egg is quite simple at first glance, the shell is enrobed in gently blended shades of blue - cobalt mingling with ocean's azure and autumnal sky. But come closer! Something shimmers with a sense of the mystical to draw the eye - subtle streaks of silver and amber, four in total wrapping round about, almost like the fingers of a hand curling protectively around the precious life within.

Touching Responses

Oh what's that you smell Ginger? Nostrils are tickled by the sharp aroma of exotic spices, assaulting your sense of smell and taking you to foreign places. To the desert, the wind picking up as grains of sand are whisked along, stinging little projectiles of annoyance that you feel prickling over your exposed skin, a threat looming ominously, as if watching you close. But then, just as you feel the evil look your way, something steadies beneath the shell, like the grip of a hand holding you still, and with it the winds die and the menace moves on. For you, Ginger, are protected. - from Charmed on the Sands

Back again, red-headed one? Are you feeling more confident this time, wandering the narrow, sandy path that twists between spice-laden stalls and lantern-hung facades. But so many watch from the shadows, calling out, eyes following… How will you know which to trust, which to turn to and which to avoid? It’s so easy, Ginger - the answer is beneath your palm. You are kept in an unseen hand, after all, and it has never left you. Walk onward with all hope, and trust in what is already there…back to the Sands and beyond. - from Into the Oven

Hatching Message

Finally, the time has come for Five Fingers Against the Eye Egg to loosen its grasp. The one within is clearly impatient to be freed, buffeting the shell hard enough to make it twitch with every impact. Then a crack forms along one amber streak, and claws shining with moisture emerge to pull and rend until a sharp brown snout thrusts through. It pushes, shoves, strains until, all of a sudden, the blue-shrouded shell bursts apart, leaving one dangerously handsome brown dragonet to shake himself free of fragments and goo.

Striking a Balance Brown Dragonet

Deadly sharpness and sinuous strength define the long, lean curves and lithe limbs of a fighter’s frame, keenness the common factor in his alert gaze and steely talons. Rippling brown shrouds him richly, a marbling of hues ranging from golden to klah-dark enrobing him from the narrow length of his snout to the cunning tip of his tail. Ridged headknobs curve, horn-like, back along the contour of his skull, a shape echoed in the wide, acute sweep of his wings. Lunate neckridges rise in deep walnut, lighter hues breaking around each like water around stones to roil down his sides into the darkness pooled at his stomach. Poised at the ready and balanced he stands, capable of utter stillness and swift action alike - a weapon honed and a shield to protect.

Public Impression Pose

Striking a Balance Brown Dragonet works quickly and decisively, wending his way around the legs of Candidate after Candidate, evaluating them with a sniff and a glance and dismissing each with a disappointed huff or head-shake before moving on. No, no, no! None of these will do! He came out here with an expectation to be filled promptly… Ah, but a moment more of patience is all that is required. For straight ahead is the Smith girl with bright red hair he’s been looking for all the while, of course! With a victorious warble, he steps smartly up to her, strikingly marbled wings flaring as he peers adoringly up into her eyes, his tail curling with unwitting possessiveness about her ankles.

Private Impression Message

There is a dissolving away of all that is around you, all fading into the void until there is nothing but utter blackness. Emptiness, yes…but you are far from alone. « Ginger. » A high Fortian tenor speaks softly, a single star winking into existence before your mind’s eye. « Will you follow me into fire? » Another star appears, faintly orange against the fathomless dark. « Into storm? Into darkness? » For each question more stars appear, with more and more beyond them blooming into existence as the one with you continues on. « You must put aside old things, old fears, old lives. This is the death of yesterday. Taste of it…and be not afraid. » Then, amidst the glitter of starlight, color blossoms - celestial clouds of of vivid blues and greens and pinks, but never so much as to drown out the darkness, for there is balance to be kept. And with it, the warmth of affection spreads through your chest, the elation of a whole completed at last. « For I am Shokravanth, and I am with you to the end of time. Taste of it! » Then a hint of grey creeps in at the edges of those cosmic hues. « Right now, I would like to taste of some meat. If you would be so kind? »

Egg Inspiration

The hamsa is a palm-shaped talisman, usually an amulet, that is a popular symbol of blessings, strength, and power in the Middle East and North Africa. It shows an open right hand, recognized in that part of the world since ancient times as a sign of protection and widely regarded by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike as defense against the Evil Eye. Some speculate it may have its origins in the Ancient Egyptian Eye of Horus or the Carthaginian Eye of Tanit. - Amani

Theme Inspiration

Ginger, you asked for a dragon based on the character of Marcus Cole from Babyon 5…and boy, did all of us involved have to dig in and research on that one! There was no small amount of nerdy embarrassment involved, of course; any good sci-fi geek ought to know about Babylon 5, right? Although we didn’t have time to do a full watch of the series (for obvious reasons), we thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the universe, not to mention this particular character.

Shokravanth’s Zodiac Sign

Deciding which sign to use to tie Shokravanth into our Zodiac clutch theme was no easy feat! Once his title was in place, Libra seemed like a natural choice…but taken on the whole, it just didn’t fit. You brown could fall under a few different signs, but in the end, his passion and tendency towards impulsiveness had us settling on Aries for your lifemate. How much will it have a bearing on who he is? We’ll leave that for you to decide!

Description Inspiration

You gave us some awesome visuals to work with for Shokravanth’s appearance, Ginger - that gorgeous burr walnut wood for his coloring, and the sleek, deadly (yet sexy) lines of one of Babylon 5’s Minbari spacecraft, the Whitestar cruiser.

Th’res also suggested a nod to the Minbari themselves by somehow incorporating the head plates unique to their race, which we did in the form of his headknobs.

Name Inspiration

Amani may have gotten inordinately excited about discovering the Minbari language - what little of it exists, anyway!

It seemed only fitting to include some of it in your dragon’s name. Anla’shok, the Minbari title meaning “Ranger”, includes a k, which you mentioned liking. After that, we did a bit of playing around with words associated with characteristics that might define Marcus, all of which we ended up Google Translate-ing into Hindi, a language one might associate with meditation and ritual. Anla’shok got combined with the Hindi word nishthaavaan, meaning “loyal”. This also brought in another favorite letter of yours - v. The r came along in the words bramhaand (“universe”) and rahasyavaad (“mysticism”), both of which have ties to the theme you suggested. After putting all these in a blender, the result was your loyal Ranger, Shokravanth.

Amani pronounces it as “SHOH-krah-vanth” with a very light flick on the r, while Z’bor says “SHAH-krah-vanth,” but the real way to say it is whatever seems correct to you! We think Shok might be a good nickname, but that’s also your call. Just don’t be surprised if your subtly snarky lifemate starts calling you Ginevra in retaliation for shortening his own perfectly pronounceable name.

Mindvoice

While Shokravanth’s mind may seem relatively simple when compared to others, Ginger, you will quickly come to understand that it is anything but. Perhaps you may have looked up at the night sky in the past and thought the stars were beautiful, but not much beyond that. What he is showing you is something much further and deeper and mysterious than anything you might have imagine. He surrounds your mind in the cosmos, suspending you and anyone else he speaks to in the very midst of space rather than presenting you with the comparatively flat (yet beautiful) sky you see with both feet planted firmly on the ground.

Color communicates his emotions, and these correspond in ways you’d probably expect: red for anger, blue for peace, green for envy, yellow for happiness, and so on. They’ll be simple at first, gaining complexity as he grows and probably leaving you to interpret an subtle shifts along with the tone of his very expressive speaking voice along the way. As you discovered upon Impression, the colors unfold as nebulae, though you may not know to call them that. It might be worth having a chat or two with Calliope once you’re accustomed to what he shows you, just to help you make a little more sense of what you’re seeing.

The more brightly gleaming the stars and vivid the nebulous hues, the stronger his emotions - and they will be vivid quite often, given the passion your brown is prone to. However, the colors never become overwhelming. You may end up noticing that no matter what, there is always a perfect proportion of darkness and light in his mindscape, a constant illustration of the balance that is one of his ideals. Furthermore, there is never a sense of danger here. The cosmos of his mind is a place of calm and tranquility, serving as a canvas upon which even the most blazing scarlet of fury may be blazoned…and then absorbed once more into the void.

Said void is quite an open place, of course. While whomever Shokravanth is speaking with may feel quite alone with him, floating in the endless wonder of a realm none will ever see in the flesh, there are times when he would prefer to be truly alone with only you, Ginger. This is when his mindscape will make its only major change.

The stars will still be there, and you’ll still have the impression of being surrounded by them. But between the two of you and space, a rotunda of ancient stonework will appear, open to the view above. There is a solemn quietude to this space, even more so than when you’re out in his usual ‘scape, and an aura of ritual prevails, all of it lit by the warm glow of flickering candles placed at even points along the walls.
You will find yourself seated on a cushion upon an ornate rug, another handful of candles before you along with other items that may change depending on what Shokravanth wishes to discuss - a sheathed dagger or staff, a brass bowl that sings softly when struck, a gemstone pendant. The significance of these things may not be immediately obvious, but you’re sure to find out with time. That’s what these private moments are for, after all - for you both to discover more of one another.

Though this space is reserved for you and he alone, there is a chance that one other may be invited into this inner sanctum - a dedicated mate, should he ever have the good fortune to take one. That, however, may be quite some time in the future, or perhaps even never…but one never knows!

Physicalities

There’s no denying it: Shokravanth is one handsome dragon, but not conventionally so. The fact that he’s long, lean, and streamlined is something that’s evident straight from the shell, and it will be a constant throughout his life. He is all curves, but not at all in a feminine fashion. Instead, it’s more along the lines of a knife’s edge - clean and sharp and made for work. That he is a natural fighter will be easy to tell not only at first glance, but also once he’s in the air. As we mentioned before, this distinct frame is inspired by the dangerous and beautiful lines of the Minbari Whitestar.

His sleek lines make him an aerodynamic wonder, easily one of the most agile browns in the Weyr, if not all of Pern. There is a bit of muscle sacrificed to that nimbleness; he will never be as bulky as most of his brothers. This may cost him a bit of stamina, but he’ll still be able to go a whole Fall with ease, and his shape will make him formidable competition during flights - from a physical perspective, at least.

Another thing that lack of muscle is going to do is make him a little…wobbly as a baby. He has some strength to build, and he’ll be keen to do it quickly. Not being steady on his feet is going to frustrate him immensely, but as long as you’re diligent in getting him out and about, this should right itself within a month or so.

That gorgeous, marbled, walnut-brown hide of his is going to take some maintenance to keep looking so rich. He isn’t vain - not the way Turahaimajusuth is, anyway - but he does understand the benefits of keeping oneself in good order, so he won’t be fighting you on baths and oiling. This is fortunate, because you’ll have enough frustration dealing with patchy hide as he grows. You’ll find it mostly around his wing joints, between his wings, and on his stomach, and the only way to keep it at bay is going to be through extra oiling until he reaches maturity. The issue will mellow out then, but you might just be inclined to keep up the habit because of how utterly glorious it makes his hide look.

Personality

Shokravanth will be a bit headstrong when he starts out, thinking that he immediately knows the way and that you should follow his lead. This isn’t actually out of arrogance; rather, it stems from an innate sense of duty and a certain “code of honor” he seems to govern himself by even from the outset. He needs guidance as well as the freedom to guide, so here is where you two can start striking a balance - guide him in the world without, and he will help you understand the world within him.

As you two will grow closer you, will find that his sense of duty extends not just to you but to all of his siblings and their riders as well, no matter how well they do or don’t get along. His desire to protect them and make certain they’re doing the right thing will want to win out, and that may mean he feels he has to try to stop them or boss them around a bit.

« No, Turahaimajusuth, just because there’s a mirror there doesn’t mean you can waste time preening; we have drills to learn! »

This doesn’t mean he is all work and no play - far from it! While he can be focused and driven, he is never too busy launch into battle with his sharp wit and dry humor. Whenever a serious situation arises (or a boring one, for that matter), it may come as a surprise when he tries to lighten the mood rather than, say, Gamansurath.

He will even be prone to sing to you if he thinks it will brighten things up, or if he decides it will annoy you or anyone else enough for him to get his way…

The same goes for bantering, both with you and anyone else who’s game. It’s his way of learning more about someone in the midst of darker situations. Such times will reveal a person’s true colors, after all…and those are what he would prefer to see. If he can be the one to draw them out, all the better.

Beyond being the headstrong protector and lord of the sardonic, he is a rather philosophical sort, something that will become more and more apparent the longer you two experience bonded life.

He will learn to look at things from different angles, becoming more and more intent upon trying to understand the world around him better. The fact that he is a dragon with limited memory and not a human will likely temper the amount of success he has in his efforts, but he will be forever trying to improve nonetheless, to prove himself and present his best self to all.

Perhaps this quality will make you stop and think. Or perhaps it will grate on you, if you have a more pragmatic viewpoint. Either way, it’s bound to yield some interesting conversations, a give and take of perspectives to be shared no matter how the exchange goes.

Yet for all he tries to see all facets of things and take a philosophical approach as much as possible, he is quick to anger, particularly when it comes to those he is bound to protect. This does, of course, mean you above all others. Are you ready for some contesting of wills, Ginger? Because Shokravanth will have a tendency to passionately fly off the handle and deal with things his way before attempting to learn the full story, especially when he’s younger.

« Why shouldn’t I tackle the Weyrlingmaster, Ginger? She’s the one who made you run until you ended up in pain, and I won’t stand for it! »

As he gets older, he’ll be less impulsive, though it won’t stop him from bolting off into a solo flight over the Azov to blow off some steam, leaving a burst of crimson nebulae in his mental wake. While frustrating, it will be a far sight better than having to stop him mid-pounce or flame or bite or whatever else he has in mind.

His passions will likely find him keeping company with Iandreth, who has similar tendencies toward protectiveness and perspective. Iandreth’s more practical protectiveness will help him see that he doesn’t have to take on the world alone, so to speak. There’s also a romanticism to him that he’ll be able to commiserate with his bronze brother - and possibly his fellow brown Saetyroith - about…but more on that later.

Dragon Song

“Undying Love” by Two Steps From Hell

It isn’t always possible to find a song that puts a dragon into words…but there doesn’t have to be. Music is also about feeling, and with Shokravanth being the passionate soul that he is, feeling seemed to be more appropriate anyway. Th’res came across this lovely piece, and we think it conveys the essence of your lifemate rather nicely.

Dragon Scent

There is a scent that’s unique to Shokravanth, though it’s something you may not notice for some time, perhaps after your introduction to his inner sanctum. It’s incense - a faint, spicy musk evocative of the mystical and meditative. It may hearken back to his egg somehow, or his mental penchant for calm with a touch of ritual. It will never be strong, just…there, at the very edges of your sense of smell. Perhaps it will inspire a visit Igen’s Bazaar to get some of your own.

Flights

“Nuzin falani…en alis mi dron.” (“You are…the most beautiful woman I have ever met.”) - Marcus Cole to Susan Ivanova, Between the Darkness and the Light

In flights, or really the courtship of any green or gold whether she’s glowing or not, Shokravanth is ever the romantic. He speaks his mind openly and earnestly, giving compliments as well as gifts…that may or may not go over well.

When actually chasing, he will treat all comers as equals but will strive just as fiercely as the rest. While the might be no bloodshed, Shokravanth won’t be shy about getting physical with the competition in order to gain the best possible position.

While he will chase as often as it suits him in order to keep himself sharp, and will enjoy the fruits of his victories, that romantic side of him will always yearn for a dedicated mate. Once he’s mature, he will be increasingly vigilant for a female who grabs and holds his attention - not actively so, just on the lookout. There will likely be many failed attempts in his bid to find “the one”, both outright rejections and longer attachments that simply don’t work in the end. It may happen enough for him to become cynical about it all, and then he’ll end up bending Iandreth’s proverbial ear with his tales of woe, soliciting his more charming bronze brother for advice. If he gets to that point, he’s likely going to be absolutely floored when his one does come along.

« Iandreth…how in the world am I supposed to tell which females just want a good twining and which want more? »

If he should be so fortunate as to catch a queen and sire a clutch, he’ll probably end up in a daze of awestruck disbelief for a few days before that fiercely protective nature of his kicks in. He’ll be utterly loyal to his mate, eager to provide whatever she needs while on the Sands and doing plenty of hovering of his own. Indeed, there might be some debate over who’s more broody between sire and dam! He’ll want to be there for them when they hatch, the best example possible for all his progeny. There will inevitably come a time, however, when they’ll be grown and he’ll forget that patriarchal instinct, though it will never stop him from exercising that duty-bound protectiveness over them.

Thread

I am a Ranger.

We walk in the dark places no others will enter.

We stand on the bridge, and no one may pass.

We live for the One, we die for the One.

– Anla'Shok credo

When it comes to Threadfighting, it is clear that this is what Shokravanth the Weapon was honed to do. It isn’t that he particularly wants to fight; he’d prefer not to, actually. But he understands what must be done and what he was born to do, quite literally down to his bones. He sees it as his duty for you both to become one of the best fighting pairs the Weyr has ever seen, if not the best. Be prepared to study you drills and maneuvers until you have them down to a science, Ginger. Shokravanth won’t be satisfied with anything less, particularly since he won’t end up remembering it as well as you!

(after you’ve completed a detailed report on high-altitude tactics) « Excellent! Now add in adjustments for a storm blowing in from the east and the likely resulting winds. »

» Really, Shok? «

« All possibilities should be taken into account, Ginevra. Lives are at stake, after all. »

Any protests will be met with well-placed sass, naturally. Remember, he knows your given name!

His protectiveness may end up warring with discipline during his first forays into battle. He would prefer to survive, of course, but there are others just as worthy…and this makes him prone toward grand sacrificial gestures. He’ll keep his place in formation and do precisely as trained, but if an unexpected clump comes along and he sees it first, he’ll fling himself between it and whomever it’s headed for with little to no warning for you. Naturally, this is going to cause some fireworks between the two of you, not to mention you and the weyrlingstaff and whoever else ends up involved. You’ll have to work things out quickly or else risk being grounded during Threadfall until you do.

Aside from that little hitch, you’re going to make quite the formidable pair during any Fall, his long and precise gouts of flame making quick work of any Thread that comes into view. Shokravanth will become one of those anyone would want at their back, regardless of any dramatics that may accompany the cover given.

And there is your passionately protective, loyal, delightfully sardonic and chivalrous Shokravanth. We hope you find playing him as delightful him as we found it to write him, Ginger! He’s all yours, so feel free to play him however feels right to you. We can’t wait to see how your journey together plays out!